Where does meaning start?

One place: from thinking

The Language of Thought

Is it real?

Can we think without using language?

Young babies can’t speak, right?

Can they think?

If they can think, how can they?

How do they think differently from adults?

And how about animals?

They don’t have human-type languages

But they seem to be able to think (and learn)

And use tools to solve problems

Lots of examples

They must be thinking, right?

Pretty clever

How clever?

How clever?

Not as clever as humans

Humans are the cleverest

We are very clever

We are the most intelligent animals

Our intelligence is powerful

The internet gives us superpower

We are superior to animals

Our way of thinking is different

We can think abstractly

抽象的思考

The meaning of meaning!

Does Linguistics give us the answer?

• No• But• It gives us a way to think about some things• Which may be interesting• And may be boring sometimes

We are very very clever

So, simple question…?

Can WE think without using language?

Say we can… how?

Is there a language of thought?

Not Japanese or English …

Mentalese

• A “language”• Thinking without “words”

Mothers want to know what they’re thinking

But how can they think?

Where did meaning come from?

Old way of thinking

New way of thinking

There’s not supposed to be meaning

Just nothingness and a huge explosion

Then SOMEHOW we get very simple animals

That SOMEHOW evolved

Single cell animal

Which has a tail with a motor!

Random changes …

Leading to us!

So why meaningful thought?

Why meaningful information?

Why meaningful patterns?

Why all the meaningful “Fibonacci” stuff?

Why so many messages in nature?

Very clear messages

Which everything and everybody understands

No need for an explanation

We get the message

Before it’s too late … usually

We’re always picking up messages

At least, MOST of the time

Why does meaning exist at all?

Shouldn’t we expect NO meaning?

Isn’t it all a bit surprising?

And what is meaning, anyway?

• 意味論• Semantics• Semantic theory

In Linguistics

• (In language-related communication)• What the sender sends• And what the receiver receives

Linguistic meaning

• The thing a sender sends• And the thing a receiver receives• What?• That’s a bit disappointing!

Basically, it is a mystery

What’s that?

In Linguistics …

• Meaning is at the beginning of communication• And at the end of communication• It’s MAGIC• And we use our magic words

It is at the beginning and the end of communication

But what is it?

Semantic meaning

Why do we keep using funny pictures here?

What is meaning in the mind?

Why do we always need a funny cloud or balloon or something?

What does the meaning look like before you put it into words?

And what does it look like after you receive it?

Answer:

• We• Have• No• Idea• !• !!

The true nature of meaning is a mystery

We have little idea why it exists or what it is like?

Which makes you free to think

You’re free to think

About deep philosophical and psychological problems

So semantics deals with big mysteries

And provides a SMALL part of the answers!

We can translate our languages into other languages

But what happens in our heads? Or outside our heads?

• We• Have• No• Idea• !• !!• !!!

We only have hypothesis

Cognitive semantics

We may be missing big ideas

Can we be sure that meaning is confined to the mind?

Maybe there are bigger mysteries

Where is meaning?

And what form does it take?

We don’t know

• Linguistics is only concerned with limited questions

• And only provides limited answers• So don’t feel TOO disappointed• You can still think for yourself

Word meaning

• What is a word?• Where is the meaning in a word?

Remember Chomsky’s famous example?

Why is it important?

Is it important?

Important because it’s meaningless?

• Ideas• Noun (phrase)

• Idea• Noun

• Ideas are useful• The idea is useful• The ideas are useful

• Big• Adjective

• Green• Adjective

• Bus• noun

• Finger• Noun

• Long• Adjective

• Furiously• Adverb

• Walk• Verb

• Slowly• Adverb

• Hit• Verb (could be a noun)

• Silently• Adverb

• Quick• Adjective

• Quickly• Adverb

• This• Determiner (Specifier)

• That• Determiner (Specifier)

• Those• Determiner (Specifier)

• Quietly• Adverb

• Quiet• Adjective

• Crazily• Adverb

Grammar is fine …

But it’s meaningless

Chomsky: Grammar and meaning are separate

Little activity

• Get you thinking about meaning

• It’s a game

• So we’re going to make it a little difficult

IPA phonetic symbols

• Easy consonants:• p (pie); t (tie); k (key); b (bee); d (die); g (guy);

m (my); n (night); f (far); v (very); l (lie); w (why); h (high) ; s (sigh); z (fizzing)

Funny consonants

ŋ (rang); θ (thigh); ð (then); ʃ (shy); ʒ (vision); tʃ (cheap); dʒ (jive)

Take your pick

ɹ (rye); j (yes); ɸ (far); r (rye); y (yes); f (far)

Vowels

i (sheep); ɪ (ship); eɪ (hate); ɛ (head); æ (had); ɑ (hard); ɒ (hod); ɔ (stored); ʊ (foot); ɔʊ (code); u (booed); ə (bird); ʌ (mud); ɑɪ (hide); ɑʊ (how); ɔɪ (boy); yu, ju (cued)

• Stored• stɔ:d

• Code• kɔʊd

• Cued• kju:d

• Bird• bə:d (UK)• bərd (US)

• Car• kɑ: (UK)• kɑɹ (US)• kæ: (my hometown dialect!)

• Sheep• ʃip

• Ship• ʃɪp

• Jumping jive• dʒʌmpɪŋdʒɑɪv

• Check it out• tʃɛkidɑʊt

• Her hair looks hot• hə:hɛ:lʊkshɔt• hə:hɛ:lʊkshɒt• hə:he:lʊkshɒt • (UK)• həɹhɛɹlʊkshɒt• həɹhɛɹlʊkshɑt• (US?)

v

‘an event of laughing (in the past)’

/læft/

V

‘an event of laughing (in the past)’

/la:ft/

ɑɪla:ftsɔʊlɑʊd

I laughed so loud

n

‘a symbolic entity used to communicate’

wə:d

n

‘a symbolic entity used to communicate’

wəɹd

•ɑɪvɸʌgɔtʌnðʌwə:d

• I’ve forgotten the word

n

‘a performance of some kind’

ʃɔʊ

• hævjusi:nðʌʃɔʊ

• Have you seen the show?

v

‘the act of letting someone see something’

ʃɔʊ

• ʃɔʊɪtʊmipli:z• ʃɔʊɪtʌmipli:z

• Show it to me please

adv

‘a place that is very close’

hɪə

adv

‘a place that is very close’

hɪʌ

adv

‘a place that is very close’

hɪr

adv

‘a place that is very close’

hɪɹ

• bɹɪŋðætɛlɪvɪʒʌnɔʊvəɹhiɹ

• Bring that television over here

n

‘something to eat’

fu:d

‘act of using your mind’

v

θIŋk

‘a time before – not now’

adv

ðen

‘object with flat top’

n

teibl

n

‘someone who encourages a team’

tʃiʌli:dʌ

ɸɪʃɪŋɹɒd

n

‘a stick to catch water animals’

mɔʊbɑɪlɸɔʊn

n

‘a hand held device for communicating orally’

• Let’s try some funny British words!

tɹɑʊzʌz

n

‘clothes worn over the legs’

tɹɑʊzɪz

n

‘clothes worn over the legs’

• Trousers

nækʌd

ADJ

‘very tired or useless’

• knackered

gʌtɪd

ADJ

‘very sad’

•Gutted

lʌndʌn

N

‘capital city of UK’

gɒbsmækt

ADJ

‘very shocked’

gɔbsmækt

ADJ

‘very shocked’

•Gobsmacked

kɔkʌp

N

‘mistake’

•Cock up

ðəbi:zni:z

N

‘something great’

• The bee’s knees

tʃʌndʌ

V

‘to vomit’

• chunder

teɪkðəpis

V

‘to make a fool of someone’

teɪkðʌpis

V

‘to make a fool of someone’

• Take the piss

bɔlʌks

N

‘nonsense’

bɒlʌks

N

‘nonsense’

•Bollocks

Dɒdʒi

Adj

‘illegal or somehow wrong’

Dɔdʒi

Adj

‘illegal or somehow wrong’

•Dodgy

kəɸʌɸl

N

‘An argument or fight’

kʌɸʌɸl

N

‘An argument or fight’

Kʌfʌfl

N

‘An argument or fight’

•Kerfuffle

wæŋkʌ

N

‘a useless person’

•Wanker

tɔʃ

N

‘rubbish or nonsense’

tɒʃ

N

‘rubbish or nonsense’

• Tosh

hʌŋkidɔ:ɹi

Adj

‘Cool, no problem’

•Hunky dory